


Hazel Eyes And Freckles

by valenashwood



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Christmas Fluff, F/F, F/M, Family Drama, Family Fluff, Fluff, Minor Blake Belladonna/Sun Wukong, Minor Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie, Ruby Rose is A Mess, Weiss Schnee is So Done, very little actual romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-16
Updated: 2018-12-21
Packaged: 2019-06-11 11:41:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15314742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/valenashwood/pseuds/valenashwood
Summary: Ruby was perfectly happy living with her two best friends and sister, and certainly didn’t need a cute 1st year intruding every time she looked terrible.University AU





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first published fic and it is unbeta’d, so please bear with any mistakes or format issues. Enjoy!

Ruby was trying to absorb the contents of her new textbook via osmosis when she first heard the name Oscar Pine. Her flat mate Blake had opened the door to their large apartment with an exaggerated sigh and collapsed onto the nearest sofa dramatically, leading to Ruby jumping up from where she’d been hanging upside down off the back of the other couch, and fixing a determined look in Blake’s direction.  
“You’re only that dramatic when something fun’s happened for once, so spill!” The shorter adult exclaimed, to which Blake rolled her eyes.  
“I’ve been asked to tutor a first year student since he’s the university president’s grandson, and it’s for extra credit so obviously I said yes.” Was her answer, and Ruby considered the words for a moment, sitting down on the sofa like a normal person for once.  
“The grandson of Ozpin? He’s probably cute, what’s his name?”  
“Gross Ruby! But his name’s Oscar Pine, and apparently he only chose history to please Oz so he’s pretty shit.” The black-haired student explained. Ruby let the name swirl around her head for a moment, before realising she was supposed to be memorising chemical equations for the next day’s lecture, and slipping off the sofa with a groan.  
“Well enjoy your extra credit, I’m going to go cry over equilibriums.”  
“Still don’t know what that means!” Blake called over her shoulder, seeing Ruby begin to turn towards her. “And I don’t want you to explain it, again.” The Biochemistry major groaned a second time, finally disappearing into her room and leaving the living room in peaceful silence.

Despite this no doubt riveting conversation, Ruby forgot all about the newcomer until the next Tuesday afternoon, when she finally had a day off and spent the morning in the sweatpants from her primary school eating ice cream and binge-watching Gossip Girl. Upon hearing the door swing open, she assumed it was her older sister returning from her midday lecture and ran into the living room/kitchen area, only to find Blake with her permanent disapproving frown and the most adorable boy the twenty-year-old had ever seen. He had messy dark brown hair, warm tanned skin spattered with freckles, and wide green eyes that were staring directly at Ruby, where her hair hadn’t been brushed in two days and there were several chocolate stains on both her hoodie and sweatpants. Once the initial mortification had died down, the shorter girl raised a tentative hand in the boy’s direction, and watched as a light blush spread across his cheeks.  
“Oscar, this is my roommate Ruby. Ruby, this is Oscar.” Blake cut through their strange connection, giving the other girl a pointed look.  
“Right, well I’ll just be off then.” Ruby said quickly, turning and escaping to her bedroom without another word. With that brief ordeal over, she decided to wallow in misery with what was left of the ice cream until the new, unfairly cute boy was no longer using the air in her general vicinity.

Two days later, Ruby decided someone was clearly cursing her from up above, because as she was walking home with her irritable business major of a flatmate, after their latest gossip session, it suddenly began thundering down on her secondhand yellow dungarees (which she thought were pretty cute) and Weiss’s brand new, highly expensive Gucci dress. You wouldn’t think the two of them would get along, but after a few initial petty arguments, they discovered a mutual love of gossip and trashy Starbucks drinks. Ruby had also foolishly handed over her coat (the dress was Gucci, come on), so when they finally burst into the warm apartment, she looked like a drowned rat.  
“Oh my goodness I cannot believe that just happened, I need a hot shower and all of your blankets immediately.” Weiss exclaimed as she walked straight past the living room into the bathroom. Meanwhile, Ruby realised who else was in the apartment, Blake barely holding back a laugh, and locked eyes with Oscar, who was wearing a bemused smile.  
“Nice to see you again.” The eighteen-year-old said with a surprisingly quiet voice, a pen still held loosely in one hand. Ruby could feel her face reaching a heat that could’ve dried her current clothes, and managed to stutter out something unintelligible before booking it to the only place safe from humiliation. The second bed was empty, since it belonged to Blake, but the youngest girl had just finished changing out of her ruined outfit and making a mental note to never show her face in public again when the door swung open and Weiss strolled in. The platinum-blonde had her hair tied up in a bun, and she burst out laughing upon seeing Ruby’s wallowing.  
“And you wonder why you don’t have a boyfriend.” The older girl muttered, rifling through Blake’s wardrobe for something.  
“Shut up.” Ruby’s voice was muffled by her pillow. “I was the one who hooked you up with my sister.”  
“And I will always remember your amazing advice- what was it again? Oh yes; ‘Just ask her out before I kill one of you! I’ve heard far too much about your sparkling eyes and charming smile from Yang already!’” Weiss adopted an annoying nasally voice, causing Ruby to sit up in indignation and throw a pillow at her.  
“It was ‘crooked smile’ and it worked didn’t it? Now get out of here, I’m sure Yang is anxiously awaiting your presence.” They exchanged one last glare before Weiss left the room, the front door closing soon after, and Ruby released a deep sigh. Being the youngest was hard enough, with her three roommates being in the year above, but they were all dating someone, while she was all alone with Netflix and her lab mice. Speaking of which, her phone buzzed with a text from her lab partner Penny, and she jumped at the chance to escape from the apartment, almost missing the tiny ‘see you later’ from Oscar as Ruby bounded out the door.

To be fair, after seventeen straight hours of staring down microscopes and at cage after cage of identical white mice, forgetting that other people existed wasn’t exactly unexpected. Ruby was just about to give up when Penny suddenly shrieked, dragging the dark-red haired zombie to her microscope and yelling some gibberish about a successful amygdala override, and to Ruby’s surprise, they’d done it. It was just one tiny first step in memory recovery, but it had worked. She joined Penny in the shrieking, hugging her for several seconds before realising she hadn’t washed, eaten or slept in seventeen hours. Running a hand through her hair to find new layers of grease, Ruby shuddered.  
“We should go out and celebrate tonight, but I desperately need a shower.” She told the ginger girl, who nodded in agreement. They planned on meeting that evening at the cheap student restaurant, and Ruby found herself slumping against the dingy elevator on the way to her apartment on the fourth floor.

When Oscar had first been told by his grandfather that if he didn’t get tutoring he’d miss out on the top grades, he’d imagined a grumpy, patronising fourth year with a passion for history and lecturing other people, but as soon as he met Blake Belladonna, all his presumptions flew out the window. Sure, she was quiet, cold and hard-working, but that was exactly what the brunet needed. Her three bizarre roommates were just an added bonus. Yang and Weiss were third year students like Blake, and Oscar was pretty sure they were dating, although Weiss treated everyone with the same upturned-nose contempt, and Yang seemed to physically assault anyone she deemed a friend. But Ruby was the most confusing; loud and messy when she was around, but the majority of the time she was somewhere else, and whenever the younger student asked Blake, she just muttered something about a ‘lab’, leaving Oscar to believe she was some kind of mad scientist. This was in no way disproven when he was waiting outside Blake’s flat one afternoon, and when he heard the elevator ding open, the brunet turned to see Ruby Rose heaving herself through the doors, her hair still wound up in a hairnet and a half-open, greying labcoat revealing her stained sweatpants - was that ketchup? - and a red t-shirt similar to her hair colour. They blinked silently at each other for a few seconds, and Oscar was beginning to think she was really socially awkward - not that he could talk - when she finally broke the stare and pulled a key out of her pocket with a small smile.  
“Sorry about almost bowling you over, are you waiting for Blake?” Ruby’s voice was higher pitched than Oscar had expected, but it was cute in a way. He nodded in response, watching as the pale girl unlocked the door and led the way into the living room, the size of which had shocked the first year at first. Of course, once he knew who Weiss Schnee was, it made perfect sense. “Can I get you anything?” She asked on the way to the kitchen area at the back of the room, a can of Red Bull somehow already in her hand.  
“Um, I’ll just have some water- do you know how bad that stuff is for you?” Ruby just grinned sheepishly.  
“I’ve been awake since yesterday morning, so this will have to do.” She told him, Oscar just nodding again, slightly concerned. “Speaking of which, I’m gonna go shower and probably nap until ten minutes before I need to leave. You need anything else?”  
“No, I’ll just start working here.” The brunet replied, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, and the small girl flashed him one last smile before disappearing into the nearest bedroom, returning almost immediately with clean clothes and a towel. Oscar tried not to think about the surprisingly pretty girl showering one door away, and was relieved to see Blake entering the apartment a moment later.  
“Sorry, meeting ran late. Shall we?”

The few times Ruby managed to bump into Ozpin’s grandson after that were thankfully much less mortifying, and when Blake had been tutoring the brunet for a month, the younger girl saw him as a sort of friend. So when she was scanning the library for the books Yang needed at 3am and she heard an angry sob from around the corner, she didn’t hesitate to go over to the green-eyed boy. Oscar was hunched over several textbooks, a few notes scattered on the floor around his desk, and his shoulders were shaking from his irregular breathing.  
“Hey Oscar, what’s wrong?” Ruby asked softly, not wanting to scare the younger boy, and he spun around in shock, puffy red eyes greeting her in surprise. He released a sigh, running a hand through already mussed hair.  
“I just- I have to do this st-stupid ch-chemistry course and I don’t understand and I’m just so st-stupid!” He exclaimed, his cheeks reddening as he stuttered over some of the words, and he buried his head in his arms. Ruby placed a warm hand on his forearm, scanning the pages in front of her quickly.  
“Is that all that’s troubling you?” She didn’t mean for it to sound patronising, but the brunet glared at her instantly.  
“No, I also got a call from the hospital, because my mum collapsed and i can’t be with her because I’m here and she’s in Ireland.” The final word was laced with desperation, Oscar banging his head against the table. Ruby grabbed another chair and sat down next to the panicking boy, her hand returning to his tanned forearm.  
“Well maybe if you talk to Ozpin, you can get a flight home this weekend and see your mum.” The small girl suggested, causing Oscar to shrug sulkily.  
“I guess so... he’d probably want to come with me.”  
“Are you two close?” She asked, genuinely curious, and the brunet finally smiled.  
“Yeah, as weird as it is knowing he literally owns my education, he’s actually really cool. He helped my mum start a farm as a single mum too, so we owe him everything.” The panic had faded from Oscar’s face, leaving a nostalgic smile, and before Ruby realised what she was doing, her hand had moved from his arm to his hair, ruffling the soft strands.  
“Well how about you and go see him at a more reasonable time, and for now...” Ruby paused, looking over the worksheets once again. “You’ve got the wrong units. You’ve got one measurement in joules, and another in kilojoules, which are literally a thousand times bigger.” She pointed at the question he was stuck on, and he stared at it in surprise.  
“Oh.” Quickly scribbling out his past calculations, he changed the units and found that the question was suddenly easy. “How’d you know that?” Oscar asked in wonder, and Ruby grinned over at him.  
“I’m a second year biochemistry major.” The older girl replied. Well that explained the laboratory and late hours. Feeling more than a bit stupid, Oscar reached up to rub the back of his neck, and found that Ruby’s hand was still resting on his head. They both pulled away simultaneously, faces turning red, and Ruby focused on the question in front of them. It was another hour before the questions were finished and Oscar actually understood everything, but Ruby was a surprisingly good tutor. And as he walked home in hope of a few more hours of sleep, the brunet had a strange fluttering feeling in his stomach and a smile on his face.

It took until the next time he was being tutored by Blake for Oscar to understand what that fluttering feeling was. It was almost 11pm, the evening having been spent cramming for an exam the next day, and both of them felt hungry and tired.  
“Okay, so after she was beheaded, Henry went on to- are you even listening?” Blake’s voice had reached a dull monotone, and Oscar blinked a few times, the words blurring on the page.  
“Hey Blake, where are your roommates?” The brunet asked sleepily, only to hear a snort from the sofa next to them. Looking up wearily, he found the infamous Yang Xiao Long stretched out with a smaller blonde girl draped over her, who happened to be snoring softly.  
“We’ve been here for hours, how did you miss all that?”  
“Yeah Oscar, they were literally making out like 20 minutes ago, you must be more tired than I thought. Let’s call it a night.” Blake added, heaving herself off the floor and immediately falling onto the empty sofa. The youngest student frowned, shutting his eyes as he realised how late it was.  
“What about to Ruby?” Just as he spoke, the door swung open, the hinges groaning in complaint. Oscar was almost too tired to look up, until he heard Yang wolf-whistle loudly. Rubbing his eyes, the brunet focused on the short girl who’d just entered, only to find himself suddenly very awake. Admittedly, Oscar had only seen Ruby in messy casual clothes and no makeup, but he hadn’t expected her to look so...hot. Simple eyeliner made her unique silver eyes stand out against her porcelain skin, and her usually unbrushed hair was deliberately messy, as if someone had been tugging on it all night. Her dress was black with red lining and a laced corset, the top strings untied and the skirt barely brushing her knees, and to top it all off, she was wearing thigh high black boots and smudged black eyeliner. The eighteen-year-old couldn’t tear his eyes away, even as Ruby stumbled past with a high-pitched laugh.  
“Fun night?” Yang asked with a grin, and her sister shot her two finger-guns, dropping a thankfully plastic cup in the process.  
“You know Neptune throws the best parties.” Ruby slurred, picking up the cup again and running it under the tap. Blake rolled her eyes next to Oscar.  
“You didn’t see my idiot of a boyfriend there did you?” The black-haired girl muttered, making Oscar wonder when he would meet this man who was supposedly dating Blake Belladonna voluntarily. The drunk girl seemed to consider the question for a moment, downing the glass of water in the process, before she grinned.  
“Oh yeah! When I last saw him, he and Neptune were losing a game of beer pong against Pyrrha and Nora.” This appeared to be the end of Ruby’s socialisation, as she then headed for her bedroom, but her hip knocked against the edge of the sofa, and she looked down at Oscar’s wide-eyed expression.  
“That’s right, I got laid, I look pretty don’t I?” It took all of the brunet’s internal strength not to nod fervently, and once Ruby’s door had shut behind her, Yang burst into booming laughter, throwing Weiss onto the floor as a result.  
“Hey Oscar, can I get you a drink?” He looked over at the blonde in confusion. “‘Coz you’re looking hella thirsty.”  
“Shut up.” Was his only retort, feeling his cheeks heat up even more, and the brunet hurriedly gathered all of his books. “I’m done revising, I’ll tell you how I did tomorrow.” Oscar muttered, not meeting Blake’s eyes. Once outside the apartment, he ran a hand over his warm face.  
“Okay Oscar, don’t freak out, you definitely don’t have a crush on Ruby Rose.” He told himself firmly, almost believing it, until that sweet smile and thigh-high boots appeared in his mind. Plus that dress, maybe if he aced the exam he could get his grandfather to make it illegal for Ruby Rose to wear anything but sweatpants and a lab coat. Although, she was pretty cute in that too. Fuck.

So, maybe Ruby had been wrong about them being friends. Sure, Oscar had spoken to her a few times since the library incident, but it had been almost two months since he’d last been at the apartment, and when Blake said he’d wanted to be tutored in the library, she couldn’t help but feel it was her fault. And yes, in all the times they’d interacted there’d been very little actual conversation, but they were friends right? Everyone was Ruby’s friend, even the silently mysterious ninja Lie Ren.  
“He’s not actually a ninja Ruby.” Yang interrupted, her tone bored, as if Ruby had been saying her whole internal monologue out loud. “You have been. And get off me!” The strong blonde shoved at her younger sister, sending the girl tumbling off the sofa.  
“But Yaaaaaaaang,” Ruby wailed, throwing herself back onto the couch and elbowing Yang in the gut. I don’t know what to do! Should I call him? I should call him shouldn’t I?”  
“Great plan, except you don’t have his number.” The older girl pointed out. “Why do you care anyway? I thought your crush on Ozpin was just a rumour.”  
“It is!” Ruby shrieked, shuffling herself so her head was on Yang’s lap, who just rolled her eyes. “I just feel like I’m being avoided, and I don’t know why.”  
“Maybe he thought you were too weird?” The blonde suggested, dropping her head to the back of the couch and closing her eyes, just as the door opened and Weiss sauntered in, a scowl etched on her face.  
“What happened Ice Queen?” Ruby asked curiously, briefly distracted. Weiss just sighed, scanning the scene before her.  
“I just hate business, nothing new. Now can you solve your problems so I can hog your sister for myself?” Was her response. Yang chuckled, lifting her head to wink at her girlfriend.  
“Ruby thinks Oscar Pine is ignoring her and can’t figure out why she cares.”  
“Is that it?” Weiss scoffed. “You’ve got a crush on him, duh. Just ask him out.” And with that bombshell, the shorter blonde pushed a mind blown Ruby onto the floor and took over Yang’s lap. The two blondes half expected their flatmate to deny it or change the subject, but Ruby just nodded slowly, heaving herself to the floor.  
“I have a crush on Oscar Pine. I need- I’m gonna go find Blake.” And with that, she sprinted out of the apartment.  
“Ha.” Yang murmured. “Can’t wait until she finds out Blake’s in her room.”

It took a concerning amount of fish to convince her, but Blake agreed to let Ruby take over the next tutor session, leaving her waiting anxiously in her favourite red scarf and grey hoodie that used to belong to her uncle. The second Oscar saw her several desks away, his skin visibly paled, and she could’ve sworn he gulped.  
“Hey Oscar! Blake couldn’t make it, so I figured we’d go over some more chemistry!” She exclaimed as loudly as was possible in a library, and the brunet had no choice but to approach her. In the end, they actually covered some pretty tough equations, before Oscar tried to subtly move his chair further away, and Ruby looked over at his embarrassed expression in amusement. A moment of silence passed, and the eighteen-year-old began steadily more embarrassed until he finally stammered out something quietly.  
“What was that?” Ruby asked, secretly enjoying his hesitation.  
“You smell...nice. It was distracting me.” He repeated a fraction louder, his eyes focused on a smudge on the desk. The older girl tilted her head, taking in the new information, and then a smug smile appeared on her face.  
“Oscar.” He glanced up, meeting her piercing silver gaze. “I like you.”  
“W-what?!” He exclaimed, getting glares from other students. “You can’t just say that!” Ruby laughed.  
“Of course I can, we’re not in kindergarten. I want to go out with you, what do you say?” Underneath her confident posture, the girl’s heart was racing, watching Oscar’s face for any hint to his answer. The brunet fixed his green eyes on her, the hazel rings inside each iris seeming to pull Ruby into a freckled void.  
“Um, yes?” He replied nervously, but he scrambled to repeat it more confidently upon seeing Ruby’s crestfallen face.  
“Yay!” The pretty girl yelled out, at which point the librarian huffed angrily and gestured towards the door. “Sorry, I’m just happy.” The two young adults wore matching grins, cheeks still red and work abandoned around them.  
“Um, do you want to go get coffee or something?” Oscar asked hesitantly, watching as Ruby hurriedly gathered up their textbooks.  
“Coffee or something sounds great.” She teased. “Lead the way.” Her hand outstretched next to him, and for a moment the short girl thought she’d overstepped, before he took her hand with a sweet smile, squeezing lightly. In the end, Ruby led them out of the building, pulling her boyfriend to her favourite cafe, and Oscar just laughed as her feet bounced with every step. Maybe he hadn’t passed history yet, or made many friends, but Oscar had a good feeling about the future. He felt a tug on his arm, looking down to see a dark-red haired girl smiling up at him with eyes full of hope, and suddenly nothing else mattered. Sure, he had an exam in a day he was certain to fail, but for now, work could wait. For now, Ruby Rose was his future, and that was all he needed.


	2. Home For Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby and Oscar have their first Christmas together. Weiss makes some decisions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was never expecting so many people to read this in the first place, but since I hit 600 reads and it's Christmas, I figured I'd add a Christmas special.

Ruby wasn't entirely sure how this had happened. The redhead had been trying to make the apartment more Christmas-y for weeks now, but with Weiss and Yang currently fighting and Blake caring less about the holiday than the Grinch himself, she'd been left to decorate the place herself. It shouldn't have been too hard; they had a small plastic tree that she'd covered in all the little ornaments her sister had helped her collect over the years, and there was now tinsel on the lights and curtain rails, gingerbread candles on the windowsills, and strings of lights along the walls of every room. The only thing missing was mince pies, and, well. When the door to the apartment finally opened, a quiet voice calling out curiously, Ruby let out a strangled noise and jumped up from the kitchen floor, flour covering her hair and most of the surfaces, and pie filling coating her fingers.  
"Um." She began, seeing the boy's expression, but then he burst into laughter, soft and warm, and Ruby just blushed.  
"Wanna explain?" Oscar asked, still grinning cheekily.  
"I'm... baking?" The redhead didn't intend on sounding unsure, she was definitely baking. Had she turned the heating up by accident? The brunet was wearing an oversized brown hoodie, the sleeves falling over his hands slightly, and his freckles had faded slightly in the winter chill, but he still looked far too adorable to be laughing at her.  
"Is that what they call it?" The brunet walked forward to brush some of the flour out of her fringe, smiling at the redness in her cheeks as if he wasn't covered in his own. "I'm pretty good at mince pies... if that's what you were trying to achieve."  
"Oi!" Ruby elbowed him, but couldn't help grinning back. "Fine, help." She conceded, stepping back to wash her hands in the sink, and Oscar leant over to continue pulling baking goods from her hair. He assessed the situation calmly, not at all surprised by the mess his girlfriend had managed to make, and then saw that the rest of the flat was decorated since he'd last visited the day before.  
"Who helped decorate?" He grabbed another apron as he spoke, rolling his eyes at the choices. Each girl had a personalised apron, and he grabbed the second smallest one, reading the words 'Ice Queen' embroidered in the white material.  
"No one." Ruby was still smiling, but Oscar had learnt to notice the slightest changes in her expression, seeing how sad she seemed now. They wiped down the surfaces first, and then started preparing the ingredients still needed. There was a bowl of pie filling ready, although Oscar would normally wait until the pie bases were done to make it, and he sniffed it suspiciously. "It's not poisonous!" The redhead exclaimed indignantly. "Here, try some!" Oscar was expecting her to hold a spoon up to his lips, but instead it was one of her own fingers, a grin back in place on her pale face. Blushing slightly, but smirking at the older girl, the brunet opened his mouth and pulled her closer, sucking the fruity filling of her finger slowly.  
"Tha- that's not fair." She stammered, yanking her hand back and running it under the tap again. "Now come on, what do I do now?" Oscar began explaining the next steps, pretending it was for her benefit, and not because his own face was burning.

The mince pies were finally complete and in the oven, when the brunet turned to Ruby with a cautious expression.  
"Weiss and Yang still aren't talking then?" He asked softly, and Ruby sighed, leaning into him slightly.  
"They've been completely avoiding each other, which isn't exactly difficult with their courses, and it feels like when they first liked each other all over again." She explained sadly. Oscar wrapped an arm around her shoulder instinctively, feeling a rush of warmth at how small she was like that, when they were normally almost the same height. "And Blake just spends all her time with Sun or in the library, so Yang's started sleeping in her bed. I have to listen to her cry all night, and I feel so bad."  
"It's not your fault. It's no one's fault this-"  
It's Weiss's dad's fault." Ruby cut him off. "She's only doing business because he wants her too, and when Yang suggested changing, so close to Christmas, she blew up. But it's his fault, not hers."  
"Isn't she staying with you for Christmas? I thought that was the plan this year." Oscar asked, because that was what Blake had told him during one of their sessions. Ruby and Yang went back to their dad's to have Christmas, and both Blake and Weiss were supposed to be joining them, instead flying back to their respective homes. But Ruby shrugged.  
"I just wanted to have a perfect holiday with all my family - except you of course -" The brunet blushed again. "But now it's all falling apart. Blake's been invited to stay with Sun's family, and with Weiss and Yang not talking at all, I don't know why she would come either." Ruby was beginning to sniff sadly, her voice becoming quieter, and Oscar turned so he could look down at her, hands on the counter either side of the girl.  
"Listen Ruby, even if they don't come for Christmas, you'll still be able to enjoy the start of the holidays together, and... and we can have our own Christmas, too." He said reassuringly, smiling softly even as he glanced away from her eyes.  
"Now?"  
"Uh well, um, maybe." Oscar spluttered, seeing her large, hopeful eyes. "I don't have any of your presents with me though." He added, and she grinned.  
"You bought me presents?" Ruby asked, still stuck comfortably between his arms.  
"Obviously." That earned him an elbow in the gut, and he moved away with a yelp, letting her bend down to check the pies through the oven window. "Do you want me to get them, or...?"  
"No Oscar." The redhead giggled, glancing up at him briefly before returning to staring at the food. "But I do think we should have our own Christmas, if Weiss decides to speak to my dumb big sister again."  
"Sounds... logical."  
"Shut up." Ruby went to attack the brunet again, and he jumped back with his hands in the air, both of them laughing.

 "Woah, do I smell mince pies? As in, actual pies and not blackened lumps?!" Yang burst into the apartment loudly, a grin on her face for the first time in weeks. Ruby complained around a mouthful of pie, and Blake smiled from where she was perched on the arm of the sofa, a plate of mince pies neatly balanced on her legs.  
"They're actually good. Even I was surprised." The history major replied, ignoring the second sound of complaint from the redhead. There was a pause as Yang checked to see if Weiss was in the room, and then she flopped onto the sofa, reaching out for a pie.  
"I'm guessing the exam went well?" Ruby asked once she'd swallowed her mouthful, and the blonde just stuffed a pie in her mouth and nodded cheerfully. It was the last of everyone's exams, the end of stress, and only Ruby and Blake had any lectures left, meaning the other two were more likely to run into each other now. None of them wanted to talk about the dramatic break in their relationship, but Ruby knew she had to say something, and if Yang wouldn't budge, it would have to be Weiss. Speaking of which, the door suddenly opened, and they all went quiet as the click of heels entered the room. The short, pale girl didn't look at any of them as she passed, her pale pink sweater falling over the light blue jeans, and it was when Weiss stopped wearing dresses that there was reason to worry. Once the bedroom door closed behind her, Yang released a sad sigh, running a hand through her thick hair.  
"She'll see sense soon." Blake offered as comfort, clearly wanting to escape the awkward tension, and Ruby nodded firmly to herself. The redhead stood up and headed towards the door, and Yang made a panicked noise.  
"Ruby, leave it!"  
"No, I'm gonna talk to her. She always talks to me." 'Even if it's just insults' Ruby wanted to add. She knocked once, and then let herself in, shutting the door quickly behind her and facing the room. Weiss had already climbed into bed, her sweater thrown on the floor so she could pull a huge yellow hoodie over her slim frame, and she turned over to glare at the other girl.  
"Get out." Her voice was muffled by the duvet, and Ruby was reminded of when she had a similar moment before asking Oscar out.  
"Not until we sort this out." The redhead sat down on Yang's bed calmly.  
"There's nothing to sort out." Weiss grumbled. "Your sister is selfish and rude, and doesn't understand. None of you do."  
"Then help us understand. Yang just wants to help you." This earned her a derisive snort. "No listen, Weiss, because I'm serious now. You've been forced into this corner by your dad, I get that, but you're an adult now, and really, if you want to change course, he can stop you."  
"He'll cut me off!" Weiss exclaimed, sitting up and shocking Ruby back. "He's already dropped all ties with my sister because she chose to join the army, and now I'm the next in line to inherit the company. If I don't do this, my little brother will have to do it, and I'll lose my father for good!" She was tearing up then, rubbing her eyes furiously, and Ruby jumped off her sister's bed to climb on the other, hugging the paler girl despite her weak protests. "I'm not angry with Yang, I mean, I am, but it's just because I wish it was that easy." Weiss continued. "I can't just send a message to my family saying 'by the way I'm changing to fashion, oh and I'm gay and I have a girlfriend who isn't rich - no offense -"  
"None taken."  
"And I'm spending Christmas with her family instead of our usual huge traditions'; my father would never speak to me again."  
"But Weiss." Ruby began carefully. "That's the truth. I know your dad is unreasonable, but it's your life, and you have to make decisions for yourself, not just for your dad. You're right, Yang was selfish to ask you to Christmas with us, but that doesn't mean it's a bad thing. I mean, how can celebrating a holiday with your girlfriend and best friends ever be a bad thing?" The redhead tried to choose her words carefully, and Weiss had tensed in her arms, but she released a deep breath.  
"It's just hard, knowing what happened to Winter, and knowing that'll happen to me too."  
"No matter what happens, Weiss, we're all here for you." Neither of them said anything else, but when Ruby finally left, she had hope that she'd actually made a difference.

 It was a week before Christmas that everything fell together. Ruby was pulling on her red duffel coat, Oscar waiting patiently by the door, when said door swung open and the Ice Queen stormed in, tears streaking down her face. Yang looked up from her casual position on the sofa, but before anyone could say anything, Weiss clambered onto the taller girl and buried her face in the other's neck.  
"Come on." Ruby whispered, grabbing Oscar's hand and pulling him out of the apartment. The air was bitterly cold, as if the wind could reach their bones, but Ruby just smiled, knowing everything would be okay now.  
"Where are we going?" Oscar asked eventually, reminding the redhead that she was still holding his hand, and she squeezed it happily, speeding up against the chill.  
"There's a new café just outside campus that Weiss and I found, and I wanted to take you there!" She grinned happily, her hair bobbing slightly as she bounced forward, and Oscar just smiled fondly. They didn't need to talk much to feel comfortable together, which was one of the things Ruby liked most about her adorable boyfriend, but he was still happy to update her on how the last few days had been, and how Ozpin had reacted to the third year art students painting every tree in the campus park like Christmas-themed snow-globes. The café was bigger than the brunet had expected, with almost every table filled with students and locals alike, all taking shelter from the weather.  
"One caramel hot chocolate and a black coffee please!" Ruby exclaimed, bounding up to the counter, and Oscar was sure he recognised the ginger girl who jumped up to greet them, startling him backwards with a yelp.  
"Ruby!" The girl yelled back, a Santa hat sitting lopsidedly on her head and bells hanging from her ears... and hair. "You hate coffee though!"  
"It's for him." The redhead jabbed a thumb in Oscar's direction, and the other girl let out a comical gasp.  
"So this is Oscar Pine! He's so cute!" She reached forward to grab his cheeks with a grin, and he flapped his hands at her indignantly.  
"Yes, I'm Ruby's... boyfriend. Who are you?" He said much more calmly, only to earn an outraged look.  
"Has Ruby not told you about the best hot chocolate maker in the world? I'm Nora Valkyrie!"  
"I thought this place had just opened?" Oscar gave Ruby a confused look, and she just shrugged.  
"Nora's been making me hot chocolate's since we first met at one of Neptune's parties. It was cold and neither of us were drinking, so we ended up sitting on his balcony and drinking hot chocolate together."  
"And we've been besties ever since!" Nora finished, turning to make their drinks with a loud jingle.  
"She's very... loud." Oscar said quietly, making a note to go to one of these 'Neptune parties' he'd been hearing so much about.  
"She's dating Lie Ren." Was Ruby's response, and the brunet did a double-take. He'd only met Ren once, when he was studying with Blake in the library, and the man was quieter than even him. Ruby also called him a ninja on more than one occasion, so the idea of this loud, bright-coloured girl dating him was... surprising. "It may seem strange, but they've been together since they were kids, and it's like Blake and Sun; Ren brings out her quiet, soft side, while she can make him laugh the loudest and do all the crazy things she likes." The redhead added, as if reading her mind, while Nora handed them the drinks with a warm smile. They found a table by the large windows, and Oscar was happy to sip at his drink as Ruby talked, her silver eyes glinting cheerfully through the stories of Nora's escapades.  
"Hey, stop making me sound like a criminal!" Nora yelled, disturbing a load of customers, and Ruby just stuck her tongue out in response.

The redhead wasn't sure what to expect when she got back to the apartment, the sun having set after they'd spent the entire day exploring the newly painted park, but she was relieved when the front room was completely empty for once, allowing her to rush to the kitchen and hurriedly put the kettle on, no longer able to feel her fingers. Oscar had walked her to the block, but his own dorm room was far enough for Ruby to send him back after that, knowing it was only going to get colder. Once she had a hot mug in her hands, she made her way to her bedroom, only to find Blake sitting in the almost black room, a single nightlight illuminating her current book, headphones firmly over her ears  
"Wear headphones." The black-haired girl advised, seeing Ruby's confused expression, and the younger student started gagging in disgust, happy for her sister but also unbelievably repulsed as she plugged her ears with loud rock music. It was good that they'd made up though, because they were travelling to the countryside in a few days, and Ruby couldn't have dealt with a mopey Yang all holiday.

The day after that brought last minute packing and saying goodbye to Blake, who begrudgingly accepted three hugs of increasing levels of excitement. Weiss had spoken extensively to her father, and while he'd been extremely disappointed and only slightly angry with her, he'd agreed that she could change her course. The fact that she had a girlfriend - who she wanted to spend Christmas with - was another thing altogether, but Yang had later written an email, with Blake's help, that had somehow changed Weiss's father's mind, at least for the holiday. So when the day finally came, Ruby hugged her boyfriend tightly at the train station, kissing him lightly on the lips and earning herself a deep blush from the younger boy, and he shoved a card in her hands quickly.  
"Text me once you get there, and when your relatives arrive, and on Christmas Day, and any time they start to get on your nerves, although I'll probably be annoying too." The brunet told her shyly, and Ruby grinned, kissing him again and wrapping her arms around his neck.  
"I'll text you ever day, and send you dumb pictures of my dog, and call when Uncle Qrow declares a 'charades-off' again." She replied. Oscar was about to say more, when Weiss coughed from beside them and gestured to the train that had just arrived. "Merry Christmas!" Ruby called as her sister hauled her by the collar onto the train, and the younger boy just waved back with a warm smile, thinking forward to his own holiday with his mum and grandpa. He may not have had as loud a family as the Rose/Xiao Longs, but it would still be the perfect Christmas.

The weather shifted from rain to snow as they travelled further into the countryside, Ruby's childhood appearing around them as she pressed her face to the train window, and she allowed herself to forget how small Oscar looked on the busy train platform to focus on what lay ahead; she had missed her dad the most, and knowing that both her aunt and uncle would be visiting just made it better. Yang was slightly less excited, knowing she'd have to see her mother for a few days, but the prospect of seeing Qrow still had her buzzing her seat.  
"I don't understand what could be so great about one man." Weiss said with a frown, and her girlfriend winked.  
"You'll love him, everyone does." Ruby zoned out of their conversation then, watching the snow thicken and blanket the landscape in clean white, and it finally felt like Christmas. The train finally pulled into their station as it was getting dark, and the two sisters yelled out happily when they saw the tall blonde man standing alone on the platform. Taiyang was buried in about three winter coats, but Ruby was still able to make out his familiar grin lit by the train lights.  
"Oh god, I see where you two get it from." Weiss muttered, and they just shot her identical toothy grins.  
"My girls!" Taiyang exclaimed loudly, wrapping his arms tightly around them. "And Weiss! It's lovely to meet you!" He released his daughters to step forward, and Weiss held out a hand expectantly, only to be pulled into a similar bear hug. "I don't shake the hands of people who can put up with my daughter long enough to date her." The blonde exclaimed, getting an elbow in his gut in response, and Weiss froze, not moving until the man let her go and picked up two of the larger suitcases with ease, and then she just stared in amazement.  
"He might look like he'll snap if you hug him too hard, but our dad was in the army, remember." Ruby whispered, nudging Weiss with a grin, and it was clear she was starting to regret her decision already. They all piled into the man's large green Land Rover, and Taiyang immediately turned the radio over to Christmas music, fiddling with the volume until they could barely hear themselves singing along cheerfully. It wasn't a very long drive to their house, but the excitement still grew as the car turned down a less beaten track, throwing its passengers around as the wheels fought through the potholes and puddles, and a small cottage with white walls and an old thatched roof appeared before them.  
"Home!" Ruby exclaimed, throwing herself from the car as soon as it stopped. She pulled her rucksack out and grabbed the keys from her father with a laugh, before running up to the peeling blue door and working out which key opened it. There was a series of loud yaps from behind the wood, and then a small black and white dog jumped out at the redhead, licking her fingers and barking happily as she tried to get the door open properly. "Hi Zwei! Did you miss me?" She called out, flicking the lights on and looking around her old home with a sigh.  
"Come on, it's not a mansion, but it is home." Yang said more calmly to her girlfriend, and Weiss just nodded, somewhat overwhelmed.

 Ruby was so glad to be back home, she'd forgotten that she would be sharing with her sister once again, plus Weiss.  
"I have to sleep on the floor?!" The Ice Queen exclaimed loudly, but seeing Yang's worried expression, she sighed. "I suppose it can't be that bad."  
"You can have my bed if you want." Ruby said quickly, getting a pair of strange looks. "Qrow's sleeping one of the sofas downstairs, so I can join him!" She added, and Yang rolled her eyes.  
"Not happening; last time you two were together all night, he got you drunk on eggnog."  
"And it was fun!" The redhead retorted, but she knew her sister was right. Plus Qrow would probably make her sleep in her own bed anyway. They went back downstairs to where Taiyang was busy making supper and listening to even worse Christmas music. There was a lopsided tree leaning against the ceiling, and Weiss had a feeling the man had cut it himself, tinsel, lights and decorations covering every branch, and both holly and ivy hung from the paintings.  
"You decorated the apartment like this." She noted, looking at Ruby, and the youngest student smiled, rubbing the back of her neck.  
"It was my mum's tradition." Weiss didn't know much about Ruby's mother, other than the fact that she'd died from cancer five years ago, but Yang had shown her enough pictures and talked about her enough for the platinum-blonde to know she was an amazing person, and Yang had loved her more than her real mum. Things calmed down slightly when they ate dinner, chatting happily from around the table and listening to Taiyang's stories about work and his friends. It was hugely different from how dinner was in the Schnee household, where the table was large enough for none of them to talk if they didn't need to, and Weiss found herself wishing it was like that for her own family. The dog was annoying at first, but now even that was cute, waiting patiently by Ruby's side for her to 'accidentally' drop pieces of meat or vegetables on the floor. She'd been brought up to look down on the simple, cheap Christmases, and even though she was dating Yang Xiao Long now, it was ingrained in her subconscious. But sitting around the six-seat table, the corners worn from years of love and abuse, Weiss met the silver eyes of Ruby Rose, and smiled back genuinely. Taiyang suddenly cut through one of his own stories to ask her a question, and she stared at him in surprise.  
"I'm sorry, what?" She asked warily, and the family all burst into laughter.  
"You don't need to be so polite! I asked if you were already regretting coming here." The blonde man repeated cheerfully. Weiss let out a quiet laugh, and shook her head.  
"Definitely not. This is... great."

The next few days were full of snowball fights and walks through the forest surrounding the cottage, and on the day of Christmas Eve, Taiyang drove them all to the local market, where Ruby seemed to know the names of every stall owner in the whole town, and Yang managed to drag her girlfriend through what felt like more shops than her home city. Their uncle and his sister - Yang's mother - were supposed to be arriving that afternoon, so once they'd bought enough food to feed twenty people and plenty of colourful scarves, they drove back to the cottage and started making gingerbread cookies.  
"Why is Ruby helping?" Weiss asked as more ingredients ended up on the floor, and the redhead flicked flour at her with a glare.  
"Because," Taiyang began, carefully moving the bowl away from his youngest daughter. "It's Christmas, and Ruby would throw a tantrum if she didn't."  
"Hey!" They all laughed, Ruby crossing her arms indignantly. "Oscar thought I wasn't that bad." She grumbled, and Yang snorted.  
"Yeah, coz the kid's practically in love with you."  
"He's not- don't say that!" Ruby stuttered, her father looking over with a grin.  
"Oh yeah, tell me about this boy of yours; isn't he like twelve?" The blonde said, earning himself a kick from the redhead's thick winter boots.  
"He's only a year younger than me!"  
"To be fair, he's already gotten taller since we first met him." Yang pointed out cheekily.  
"So is he all nervous and shy?" Taiyang wondered, Ruby groaning in embarrassment.  
"Oh yeah, he couldn't meet any of our eyes at first, and when he saw Ruby, in her sweatpants and unwashed hair since she's a heathen, he went all quiet and blushy." Weiss added, enjoying the red colour on her best friend's face.  
"You know what, enjoy making cookies without me. I'm going to my room." The redhead declared, swiping a finger through the mixture and leaving the kitchen in a huff. There was a second of silence, before the three of them began laughing again, Weiss leaning against her girlfriend with a grin.

They were eating the cookies when there was a loud knock on the door, Zwei barking equally loudly in return.  
"Qrow!" Ruby exclaimed, jumping up and running for the entrance, and then the door was opening and a tall, pale man entered the house. He grinned widely, short black hair combed back off his face, when the shorter girl leapt at him happily, and looked through to the sitting room cheerfully.  
"Hello everyone!" He called, ruffling Ruby's hair and reaching forward to hug Yang equally tightly, just as another tall figure walked through the doorway, shutting the door behind her. Weiss was only slightly intimidated by the two adults, the woman looking particularly scary with long, thick black hair down to her waist and a large black overcoat that looked like it was meant for the man.  
"Mum!" Yang stepped forward more calmly, and the woman glanced down at her for a moment with a blank expression, before a small smile appeared on her face, and she hugged the blonde without hesitation. Taiyang pulled the other man into a hug briefly before turning to Raven, and the whole time Weiss just watched in amazement. Both adults appeared dark and foreboding, and yet the room lit up as they greeted the family happily.  
"Uncle Qrow, mum, this is my girlfriend, Weiss Schnee." Yang told them as they moved back into the living room, and Qrow looked her over critically.  
"A Schnee, huh? I always knew one of you girls would go places." He replied eventually, nudging the blonde, and Yang just stuck her tongue out.  
"How was the journey?" Taiyang asked, passing around the plate of cookies. "The weather's gotten worse the past couple days."  
"Let's just say you're lucky my car has four-wheel drive."  
"Even then, you only just managed to not kill us both." Raven added, to the complaining of her brother. They spent the rest of the afternoon discussing all kinds of things, until it stepped into boring adult things that Ruby wasn't quite ready to engage in yet, still determined to be a child for another year, so the three of them left the adults to the sitting room, grabbing a bottle of wine to share between the three of them. It was still weird, being anywhere without Blake, after so many months of living together, so in the end, they face-timed their other roommate, and played somewhat drunk charades with her and Sun late into the night.

Christmas Day dawned slowly, and Ruby groaned when she finally opened her eyes, knowing she'd have to wait hours for her family to wake up. She threw back the covers, head spinning slightly, and picked her red dressing gown off the floor, draping it over her shoulders like a cape. There was a slight fear that she would trip over a body on her way to the bathroom, but peering over at her sister's bed, she heard two sets of snoring coming from under the duvet, and smiled to herself as she entered the communal bathroom quietly. Once she felt slightly more human, the redhead headed downstairs to the smell of coffee drifting upwards, picking up the pace when she realised who was awake.  
"Mornin' kiddo." Qrow murmured, white mug in his hand with steam rising from it, and Ruby gave him a lazy side-hug.  
"Merry Christmas Uncle Qrow."  
"Oh yeah." He chuckled. "Merry Christmas an' all that." He began making her a mug of hot chocolate without her needing to ask, and she smiled again.  
"Now we just have to wait for the others to wake up."  
"Yep." They sat by the tree patiently for around an hour, sipping at their drinks and guessing what each present was, before the top steps finally creaked again, and Taiyang emerged from the upper level.  
"Why am I not surprised." He said, giving them a tired look, and both of them just grinned at him. "Yang! Weiss! Stocking time!" The blonde yelled, and Ruby started giggling.  
"I can imagine Weiss's expression right now." A few seconds later, there was a loud thump, and Yang practically threw herself down the stairs, the smaller blonde following with more composure and a barely concealed scowl.  
"What is all this?" The heiress asked, unimpressed, and Yang jumped in front of where the stockings hung on the fireplace, gesturing at them frantically.  
"Stockings!" She exclaimed.  
"You're all too loud." Weiss sat down calmly on the sofa, and the floorboards groaned again as the last family member appeared, a similar glare on her face.  
"Finally, someone who agrees." Raven sent the blonde a tired smile, and took a seat next to her as Ruby and Yang began tearing into their stocking presents. It was all silly gifts like new socks and matching calendars for the new year, along with bags and bags of chocolate coins, gold for Yang and silver for Ruby, but Weiss could see the appeal. All them were wearing cheesy grins with each present revealed, and Ruby immediately pulled on the slippers shaped like their little black-and-white dog with a laugh, while Yang handed her girlfriend the candy necklaces.  
"You might own real diamond bracelets, but this is the only jewellery worth wearing." She explained to the confused blonde, who pulled one around her neck slowly.  
"How do you..."  
"Just take a bite!" Ruby encouraged, and then rolled on the floor with laughter as Weiss bit down on one of the sugary bits and immediately curled her lip.  
"You're all peasants, I'll have some of that coffee now please." She said eventually, but anyone could tell she was actually smiling.

Once the stockings were empty and everything was shoved in one corner of Ruby and Yang's room, they moved onto the cooking. The turkey was already in the oven, and as the hours of peeling and chopping and singing badly along to the radio went by, the champagne started flowing freely, if only to keep them all from killing each other. It was about an hour from the meal being finished when Taiyang suddenly got a call, and he immediately went silent when he saw who was calling, making a gesture for them to all go quiet, and Ruby turned down the radio quickly.  
"Merry Christmas!" The blonde started, and then there was silence as he listened to the other person speak. "Ah, well there's plenty of space here! I know you wouldn't call unless you had nowhere else, so we'd be happy to help." Taiyang replied, nodding a few times before hanging up and turning to the others.  
"Our old professor managed to burn his own lunch to a crisp, and he's currently in the area so he asked if he could eat with us. I figured we could squeeze in three more people." He explained, and Qrow grinned.  
"I've missed the old man, so this should be fun!" And with a new challenge at hand, they set to making enough food for extra people, dragging chairs from upstairs to fit them around the wooden table. Finally, everything was ready, just as the doorbell rang, and since Weiss was the only one without her hands full, she made her way to the door and pulled it open.  
"Oh my god." She muttered, just as a tall, wiry man with shaggy grey hair and a rather ornate cane bowed his head to enter the house.  
"Merry Christmas Weiss Schnee, I'm surprised to see you here." Ozpin Pine said calmly, and the blonde just pointed towards the kitchen silently, watching as a much shorter, more cheerful woman with long brown hair and freckles covering her face followed, looking back to call the third person in.  
"Who is it Weiss?" Ruby asked loudly, springing into the entrance hall. "Do we know...them..." She trailed off as the third person, also known as Oscar Pine, stepped forward warily, staring at her in shock and amazement.  
"Ozpin!" Qrow suddenly appeared beside her, shouting happily, and then they were all being dragged into the kitchen and shown where their seats were.  
"Woah, Oscar!" Yang exclaimed from her chair. Taiyang looked up from where he was carving the turkey in surprise.  
"As in, Ruby's Oscar?"  
"This is Ruby?" The freckled woman asked in response, neither of the two students knowing what to do or say. Ruby was pulled into a tight hug by the woman, who smiled warmly upon seeing her face properly. "It's lovely to meet you; I'm Judith, Oscar's mother."  
"Uh, it's nice to meet you too!" The redhead replied, slightly scared, before sitting down next to where her boyfriend had been shoved.  
"Sorry about her." Oscar whispered, leaning down, and Ruby squeezed his hand.  
"I'm also sorry in advance."  
"Advance?"  
"So Oscar!" Qrow cut through, and the brunet realised what he had gotten himself into.

They hadn't planned on spending Christmas itself together, but by the time most of were appropriately inebriated and being tasked with opening their own presents, Ruby sat in Oscar's lap with his arms around her waist and his chin peering over her shoulder to chuckle at the others, she wouldn't have had it any other way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos are more than appreciated!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Please like and comment if you enjoyed it, and if you want me to write another part or Weiss/Yang prequel, or have any prompts or ideas you want me to do for RWBY or any other fandoms let me know in the comments or on instagram @valenashwood


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